AP News Digest 6:30 p.m.
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds MICHAEL COHEN-PRISON, TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE, MEDIA-NBC-DIVERSITY, RACIAL INJUSTICE-UTAH POLICE SHOOTING, HANGING DEATH-INVESTIGATION, RACIAL INJUSTICE-KENTUCKY, VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO-CORONAVIRUS SPREAD, MILLEY-CONFEDERATE NAMES, MASS SHOOTING-TEXAS-NEW CHARGES, SYRIA-AID, CHARLIE DANIELS-MEMORIAL SERVICE, TROPICAL-WEATHER
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TOP STORIES
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SUPREME COURT-TRUMP TAXES — Rejecting President Donald Trump’s complaints that he’s being harassed, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a New York prosecutor’s demands for the billionaire president’s tax records. But in good political news for Trump, his taxes and other financial records almost certainly will be kept out of the public eye at least until after the November election. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video. With AP EXPLAINS-SUPREME COURT-TRUMP TAXES — A look at the Supreme Court decisions in the two cases involving access to President Trump’s financial records. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 400 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK — President Trump insists that schools reopen this fall. Many parents, educators, doctors and economists want the same thing. But getting children back to school safely could mean keeping high-risk spots like bars and gyms closed. A growing chorus of public health experts is urging federal, state and local officials to reconsider how they are reopening the broader economy, and to prioritize K-12 schools. By Michelle R. Smith and Carla K. Johnson. SENT: 1,030 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST
GEORGE FLOYD-CAN’T BREATHE -- When George Floyd said he couldn’t breathe, two of the Minneapolis officers at the scene pointed out that he could still speak. Medical experts say that reaction is dangerously wrong, and that a person can still utter words, even if they can’t inhale enough breath. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS -- The U.S. economy is stumbling as the viral outbreak intensifies, threatening to slow hiring and deepening the uncertainty for employees, consumers and companies across the country. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,120 words, photos. With FINANCIAL MARKETS — Most of Wall Street wilted on worries that the economy’s recent improvements may be set to fade as coronavirus cases keep climbing. SENT: 800 words, photos.
MICHAEL COHEN-PRISON — President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, was returned to federal prison after balking at certain conditions of the home confinement he was granted because of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 730 words, photos.
PEOPLE-NAYA RIVERA — Authorities were searching a Southern California lake for “Glee” star Naya Rivera who was feared drowned after her 4-year-old son was found alone on a rented boat. By Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton. SENT: 560 words, photos, video.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO-CORONAVIRUS SPREAD — The World Health Organization is acknowledging the possibility that COVID-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions — after more than 200 scientists urged the agency to do so. SENT: 330 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-REOPENING SCHOOLS — Federal health officials won’t revise their coronavirus guidelines for reopening schools despite criticism from President Donald Trump, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. What they will do, he said, is provide additional information to help states, communities and parents decide what to do and when. SENT: 790 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SERBIA -- Serbia’s authorities have banned gatherings of more than 10 people in the capital, Belgrade, after two nights of violent clashes between police and thousands of demonstrators protesting coronavirus lockdown measures. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE — Mississippi is seeing the biggest outbreak of COVID-19 among legislators in any state. At least 1 in 7 Mississippi legislators has tested positive. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GLOBAL — Asian and European officials pleaded with their citizens to respect modest precautions as several countries saw coronavirus outbreaks accelerate or sought to prevent new flare-ups, while the virus showed no signs of slowing its initial advance in Africa and the Americas. SENT: 880 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-THEME PARKS -- “The Most Magical Place on Earth” will look different to visitors who have previously visited Walt Disney World. There will be no firework shows or parades, and visitors will be getting temperature checks when they enter. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-GILDED CAGE -- One Associated Press photographer moved to Saudi Arabia to document a national awakening. Movie theaters and concerts were happening. Women were allowed to dine alongside men and drive without fear of arrest. Things were changing. Then the virus came. And just as quickly as the country had opened, it closed off. Suddenly he was photographing scenes of sterility and calls to prayer without worshippers. SENT: 600 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-AMAZON FRUITS --Two siblings are providing farmers in Colombia’s Amazon jungle with food and hygiene products in exchange for some of the fruits that they harvest and that would otherwise go to waste because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Harvest: Amazonian Barter then delivers the fruits in boxes to people who subscribe to the service in the Colombian capital. SENT: 545 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-DENTISTS — Dentists can’t eliminate all risk, but they are taking steps to minimize the chances of spreading the coronavirus. SENT: 300 words, photo.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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RACIAL INJUSTICE-KENTUCKY — Louisville police officers who fatally shot Breonna Taylor while serving a warrant were told she should be home alone because the main target of the narcotics investigation was elsewhere, according to an interview with one of the detectives who served the warrant. Taylor was shot eight times after officers used a battering ram to knock down her door and fired into the apartment after midnight March 13. SENT: 730 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-UTAH POLICE SHOOTING — Utah police officers were legally justified in firing more than 30 times and killing an armed man as he ran away, the district attorney said in a case that has become a rallying point for protesters in the state amid a national wave of dissent against police brutality.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-INDIANA ATTACK — An Indiana woman was charged in a hit-and-run crash that sent one woman to the hospital and caused minor injuries to a man during a southern Indiana protest over the assault of a Black man by a group of white men. SENT: 570 words, photos.
RACIAL JUSTICE-NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio grabbed a roller to paint “Black Lives Matter” in front of the namesake Manhattan tower of President Donald Trump, who tweeted last week that the street mural would be “a symbol of hate.” SENT: 350 words, photos.
MEDIA-NBC-DIVERSITY — NBC Universal’s News Group’s chairman has set a bold goal of having a workforce at NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC that is 50 percent minority. He also wants women to make up half of the workforce. Cesar Conde says he wants to be a leader in a moment of racial awakening. SENT: 520 words, photos.
REL--RACIAL INJUSTICE-CHURCH OF PRESIDENTS --St. John’s, the Episcopal church at the epicenter of protests in Washington, has a long legacy on civil rights dating to its embrace of the 1963 March on Washington. The yellow-walled, Greek Revival house of worship is just steps from the White House but is famous for eschewing partisan politics. Indeed, it’s hosted every president since James Madison, Republicans and Democrats alike, for at least one service. That and other core principles such as support for equal rights and community engagement have guided St. John’s for decades and continue today as the church again finds itself amid an American awakening over racial injustice following George Floyd’s killing. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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MUSIC-ROLLING STONES -- The Rolling Stones will release a new version of their 1973 album “Goats Head Soup” featuring three unheard tracks, including one featuring Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. SENT: 90 words, photos.
MEDIA-MSNBC-REID -- MSNBC has named weekend anchor Joy Reid to the 7 p.m. time slot vacated in March when former ‘Hardball’ host Chris Matthews retired on the air. SENT: 160 words, photos.
CHARLIE DANIELS-MEMORIAL SERVICE — Country musician Charlie Daniels honored at memorial service. SENT: 220 words, photos.
TROPICAL-WEATHER — Tropical Storm Fay, the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed off the North Carolina coast. SENT: 180 words.
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TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — The U.S. District Court judge who oversaw the criminal case of President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn has requested a full appeals court review after a three-judge panel ordered him to dismiss it. By Colleen Long. SENT: 415 words, photos.
CONGRESS-PENTAGON LEADERS — Top Pentagon leaders told Congress that reports of Russia offering Taliban militants bounties for killing Americans were not corroborated by defense intelligence agencies, but said they are looking into it and the U.S. will respond if necessary. By Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 990 words, photos.
MANHATTAN-FEDERAL PROSECUTOR-CONGRESS — The ousted U.S. attorney who was leading investigations into President Donald Trump’s allies told the House Judiciary panel that Attorney General William Barr “repeatedly urged” him to resign during a hastily arranged meeting that sheds light on the extraordinary standoff surrounding his departure. By Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 980 words, photos.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN-ASSOCIATE -- Federal officials were so worried Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell might take her own life in federal custody after her arrest earlier this month that they took away her clothes and sheets and made her wear paper attire, an official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. By Michael Balsamo. SENT: 600 words, photos.
MILLEY-CONFEDERATE NAMES — Confederate Army symbols within the military, including prominent Army bases named for rebel generals, are divisive and can be offensive to Black people in uniform, the nation’s top officer said Thursday. By Robert Burns. Sent: 330 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN ECONOMY — Democrat Joe Biden turned his campaign against President Donald Trump toward the economy, introducing a New Deal-like economic agenda while drawing a sharp contrast with a billionaire incumbent he said has abandoned working-class Americans amid cascading crises. By Bill Barrow and Marc Levy. SENT: 930 words, photos.
TRUMP-BIDEN-FACT CHECK — President Donald Trump’s team is misrepresenting Democratic rival Joe Biden’s stance on changing police practices following George Floyd’s death. That’s the finding of an AP Fact Check, which examined some of the statements from the campaign. By Hope Yen. SENT: 870 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-CHINA — The United States imposes sanctions on three senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party, including a member of the country’s ruling Politburo, for alleged human rights abuses targeting ethnic and religious minorities that China has detained in the western part of the country. SENT: 950 words, photos.
WISCONSIN LAME-DUCK-LAWSUIT -- The conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld Republican-authored lame-duck laws that stripped power from the incoming Democratic attorney general just before he took office in 2019. SENT: 980 words, photo.
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SKOREA-SEOUL MAYOR MISSING -- The missing mayor of South Korea’s capital, reportedly embroiled in sexual harassment allegations, was found dead more than half a day after giving his daughter a will-like message and then leaving home, police said. Police said they located Park Won-soon’s body near a traditional restaurant in wooded hills in northern Seoul, more than seven hours after they launched a massive search for him. SENT: 700 words, photos. With SKOREA-OBIT-PARK WON-SOON —Late Seoul mayor was outspoken liberal who eyed presidency. SENT: 580 words, photos.
SYRIA-AID — In Syria’s opposition-held enclave, a new kind of panic is setting in. Already living in fear of frequent government attacks, the nearly 3 million people crowded into the country’s northwest corner now risk losing vital aid as Russian moves at the U.N. threaten to shut down border crossings with Turkey. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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HANGING DEATH-INVESTIGATION — A police investigation confirmed suicide was the cause of death of a Black man found hanging from a tree in a Southern California city park last month, authorities say. SENT: 390 words.
MASS SHOOTING-TEXAS-NEW CHARGES — A man accused of shooting scores of people at a Texas Walmart last summer has been indicted on new federal hate crime and gun charges following the death of another person injured in the attack. SENT: 210 words, photo.
TODDLER STARVED — A Maryland woman accused of starving her 15-month-old daughter for more than three weeks has been charged with first-degree murder in the toddler’s death. SENT: 230 words, photo.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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MED--VIRUS OUTBREAK-PREGNANCY -- A small study strengthens evidence that a pregnant woman infected with the coronavirus might be able to spread it to her fetus. Researchers from Italy said that they studied 31 women with COVID-19 who delivered babies in March and April. They found signs of the virus in several samples of umbilical cord blood, the placenta and, in one case, breast milk. Doctors say women shouldn’t panic. SENT: 560 words, photos.
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RAPPER KILLING-ARRESTS — Authorities believe rising rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed during a Los Angeles home-invasion robbery in February after his social media posts led five suspects to the house he was renting. Police have arrested the suspects in Los Angeles. By Stefanie Dazio. SENT: 580 words, photos.
BRITAIN-JOHNNY DEPP — Johnny Depp has called his relationship with Amber Heard “a crime scene waiting to happen,” but denied in a London court that he assaulted his ex-wife during a drug-fueled rampage in Australia. Depp is back in the witness box for a third day at the trial of his libel suit against a tabloid newspaper that called him a “wife-beater.” By Jill Lawless. SENT: 960 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TV-GETTING CLOSE — Soap operas are very carefully resuming production amid the pandemic, accepting a new normal that includes real-life partners standing in for fictional romantic partners. By TV Writer Lynn Elber. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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BKN-NBA RESTART — The NBA’s bubble fills up and gets put into action, with the final eight teams scheduled to arrive and the first six teams set to take the practice floors for the first time. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos by 6:30 p.m.
BBO—EXTRA-INNING RULE — Baseball has its answer to World Cup soccer’s penalty kicks, NFL overtimes or NHL shootouts. And it figures to stir just as much debate as all those other forms of tiebreakers. Major League Baseball will start each extra inning this season by putting a runner on second base. The minor leagues have used this extra-inning format since 2018. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 7 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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